sympathetic
/ˌsɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/ adjective, noun
Forms sympathetics sympathetick sympathetical
- adjective Of, related to, feeling, showing, or characterized by sympathy. “John looked very upset. I gave him a sympathetic look.”
- adjective Showing approval of or favor towards an idea or action.
- adjective Attracting the liking of others. (of a person)
- adjective (construction) Designed in a sensitive or appropriate way.
- adjective (relational) Relating to, producing, or denoting an effect which arises through an affinity, interdependence, or mutual association. “Sympathetic magic is based on imitation or correspondence.”
- adjective A supernatural connection or power resulting from two items having the same form or some other correspondence. (of magic)
- adjective (sound) Relating to musical tones produced by sympathetic vibration or to strings so tuned as to sound by sympathetic vibration.
- adjective (neuroanatomy, neurology, relational) Relating to or denoting the part of the autonomic nervous system consisting of nerves arising from ganglia near the middle part of the spinal cord, supplying the internal organs, blood vessels, and glands, and balancing the action of the parasympathetic nerves. “Sympathetic innervation involves epinephrine.”
- noun (neuroanatomy) A sympathetic nerve.
Synonyms
approving charitable benevolent kindly good-hearted openhearted large-hearted appealing likeable likable harmonic
Antonyms
Etymology
Mid 17th century in the sense “relating to an affinity or paranormal influence”, from Latin sympathēticus. By surface analysis, sympathy + -etic (“pertaining to”); compare pathetic. Displaced native Old English efnþrōwiende.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Inclined to sympathy; sympathizing.
- adjective Produced by, or expressive of, sympathy.
Etymology [See Sympathy, and cf. Pathetic.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “sympathetic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details